#19 - Global Reference, Must Be True, Author's Perspective

[Administrator]

Please post your questions below!

[stellalune]

Could you explain what is wrong with C? I was down to A and C and had trouble eliminating C.
Thank you!

[Claire Horan]

Hi Stellalune,

For each contender, you should look for specific language in the passage that shows that the author would agree or disagree with the particular statement in the answer choice. The first sentence in Passage B convinces me that the author of B would likely agree with answer choice C. However, I can't find any language in A to show that the author would reject answer choice C. The author of A thinks that the musical aspect of opera is more important than the words, but that doesn't mean the author doesn't think a successful opera "skillfully balances many factors." "Factors" is a general word. Even if author A thinks that music and words don't have to be balanced, maybe there are many musical factors that still need to be skillfully balanced.

I don't want to muddy the waters, though. Here's the takeaway: When you can't find any specific lines in the argument to latch onto as textual support for the answer choice, move on to another contender.

Good luck!

[Henry Z]

Why is (A) the principle of Passage B? The author of B says in the last sentence of the first paragraph that the kind of opera where"the music is subordinated to the other features" has "LIMITED" appeal, "and a FULLER participation of music was required to establish opera on a secure basis." I thought that meant the author believed music was more important than the non-musical elements in opera.


So what exactly does "essential" in (A) means? I originally thought it meant "the most important", so there could be only one thing that is essential to opera. But given that (A) is correct, it seems to mean "necessary"? So that music and words (and maybe more) can all be essential to opera?

[Adam Tyson]

The latter understanding of "essential" is correct, Henry - it means "necessary," and does not imply that any one essential thing is more important than any other essential thing. Author B thinks both the music and the nonmusical elements are essential, describing them as "united." Neither is more important than the other, because both are required to make an opera.

Author B did talk about different kinds of opera which shift the balance one way or another, towards more or less focus on the music, but in all cases the words are still an essential piece. Author A, meanwhile, thinks "an opera is largely independent of words, and depends for its aesthetic value not upon the poetry of the libretto (the words of the opera), or even the plot or scenery, but upon its emotional range—a region dominated by the musical element."

[Henry Z]

Hi Adam,

Thanks for your answer! May I ask a follow-up question?

So in LSAT lingo, words like "essential", such as primary, crucial, key, main, major, etc, do not suggest any comparison or exclusivity? If we see "the primary reason", for example, we should not assume it means the NO.1 reason, the reason bigger than any other reasons? Instead, we should just take it as an important reason in general, that it may be as important as the other ten or one hundred reasons, or may even be the least important reason (but still important in its own way)?

[Adam Tyson]

I would interpret "the primary reason" as meaning the most important reason for something, Henry. But "a primary reason" or "one primary reason" just puts it near the top, not necessarily in the number one spot. And "essential" doesn't compare it to anything else - it's just required, perhaps along with many other things. In order to attend law school it is essential that you have a pulse, but that's hardly considered a primary factor in deciding whether or not to accept your application!

[g_lawyered]

Hi P.S.
I had answer choice contenders (B) and (D). Here's why I thought they were correct:
I found support that Passage A would disagree with (D) in the last lines of paragraph 2, the author believes music should be subordinate to music (matches D- "other features of opera): "So too an opera is largely independent of words, and depends for its aesthetic value not upon the poetry of the libretto (the words of the opera), or even the plot or scenery, but upon its emotional range—a region dominated by the musical element". Passage B would agree with (D) because the author believes that music, other factors, and non-musical elements should all be considered the same. I found support in Passage B in Paragraph 2: "n any event, in any aesthetic judgment of opera, regardless of the opera’s type, neither the music nor the poetry of the libretto should be judged in isolation". Can someone please explain how (D) is incorrect. Did I misinterpret the support the author of both passages are giving?

I liked (D) because I found more evidence to support both authors as opposed to (B). Is (B) incorrect because Passage A would disagree with because author thinks music is stronger than words and Passage B would also disagree (opposite of what the question stem asks) because the author believes all factors should be taken into consideration in judging opera. Is this what makes (B) incorrect?

Thanks in advance!

[Jeff Wren]

Hi g_lawyered,

Based on your question, it sounds like you may have misread or misunderstood the final sentence of Passage A. The author is claiming that operas are "largely independent of words" or "even the plot or scenery" (lines 18-19) but instead depend on the music. For the author of Passage A, the music is the most important, indispensable part of an opera. Given that, the author of Passage A would agree with Answer (D) that "the music should not be subordinated to other features of the opera."

In your question, you mentioned "the author believes music should be subordinate to music." I'm not entirely sure what you mean by this, but perhaps you are confusing the music with the words (libretto), which are different. In the passage, the "music" refers to music without words, presumably the instrumentals.

As for Answer (B), the author of Passage A would definitely agree that "the music is the most important element," so this answer can be rejected. The author of Passage B would also likely agree with Answer (B). The author of B, in describing operas that have "essentially, parity between music and other factors" (lines 25-26) "depend for their effect on a balance among many factors of which music is only one, albeit the most important" (lines 30-32).